In the 11-year period of 2005 through 2015, canines killed 360 Americans. Pit bulls contributed to 64% (232) of these deaths. Combined, pit bulls and rottweilers contributed to 76% of the total recorded deaths. | More »

Tuesday, May 20, 2008

No Stray "Bully" Breed AdoptionsUPDATE 05/20/08: The adoption of pit bull type dogs has effectively been banned in Livingston County. Pit bull owners and other pit bull advocates lined up outside of city chambers -- some with unleashed pit bulls -- to show how docile the animals are. The dog owners, however, could not sway county officials who approved the adoption ban.

Commissioner Dave Domas, who represents the area where two residents, Cheryl Harper and Edward Gierlach, were violently attacked and killed last year by a pack of four bulldogs, said the safety and welfare of residents guided the commission's decision. Earlier this year, two pit bulls strayed onto a neighboring farm and viciously attacked a horse in its stall.

Anne Burns, director of Animal Control, added that she could not adopt out aggressive dogs or bully breeds based on the number of incidents in the last year (two vicious human deaths and the death of a horse). "I know this is not a popular decision," she said, "but I've looked into all the other options." She's right about that, there are few options for this breed.

05/14/08: Officials Want to Decrease Roaming DogsALERT: Pit Spamming | Livingston, MI - After three tragedies, including 2 lost human lives and one horse life, Livingston County wants to enforce a county-wide "no adopt out" policy for pit bull type dogs. Last year, both Edward Gierlach and Cheryl Harper, were mauled to death by a pack of American bulldogs. Shortly after, an Arabian horse was attacked and killed as well.

Under the proposal, stray bully breeds and aggressive animals would be held for the state-mandated holding period of four days for collarless dogs and seven days for dogs with evidence of ownership. If the dog is not picked up by those respective times, then it would be euthanized. Animal Control Director Anne Burns supports the resolution.

Commissioner Donald Parker said that the proposed law is not a total solution in terms of what the county face with these specific breeds. "The resolution does not pretend to be that," he said. "Having said that, when we allow the general public to adopt animals in a program that we all like and take pride in, we have to take some pre-emptive measures."

9 comments:

Jersey | 5/15/2008 9:44 AM | Flag"I had been avoiding this breed-specific policy for a long time but, with the circumstances that have happened in the last year, I was forced to do something," Animal Control Director Anne Burns said.

So it took 2 people and a horse to die before she acted?? She admits it!

"If they come to retrieve their animal, they're going to be prosecuted," Burns said.

In other words, a lot of pit bull owners are going to choose to have their pets put down instead of paying the fines. Works for me.

Dee | 5/15/2008 9:56 AM | FlagJust the act of creating a "no adopt out" policy raises ire. It is a small step to take for sure (as the commissioner says), but it is also an effective first step in reducing the number of loose dogs. I hope the Harper family is successful in getting the state law passed that limits pits to one per household. That's another subtle approach to confronting the issue -- it effectively outlaws breeding!

Anonymous | 5/20/2008 7:38 AM | FlagThe Pit Bull community has had decades to address and solve the public safety issue with their breed. Instead the public gets the same hollow discrimantion arguments.

The real discrimination has occurred over a two centuries when the dogmen killed thousands of docile dogs to refine the breed.

It cracks me up how the Pit Nutters dance when the Dogmen/Breeder puppetmasters pull their strings.

Jersey | 5/20/2008 8:08 AM | FlagGreat point dee. I really think that pit bull advocates want a pit bull in every home, so we all fall in love with them and turn a blind eye as they do when someone is killed.

Anonymous | 5/20/2008 4:21 PM | FlagThis is insane.....regulate the breeding of these animals, for the love of Pete!!!!!!!!!

Make it illegal to breed these dogs, and they will disappear; why should the tax-payers keep paying to kennel these dogs for days, until they can be euthanized? I can't decide to breed chickens or goats in my suburb, even if I have the room, because of health and zoning regulations...and chickens and goats don't kill people! We regulate different types of domestic animals all the time...we need to stop the breeding of these animals. That is the source of the problem. All other attempts to regulate them will fail if we cannot control the human garbage that keeps breeding dangerous dogs and dumping them.

We need to address the problem at its source....the breeders.

Jersey | 5/20/2008 6:43 PM | FlagLivingston County should teach this shelter a few things. I don't care if they got attatched to the dogs, they are fighting dogs! They are not pets!